Real-world clinical profile, treatment patterns and patient-reported outcomes for thyroid cancer in Japan.

Aim: To provide a real-world snapshot of the clinical profile, management, and patient-reported outcomes (PRO) for advanced medullary and papillary thyroid cancer prior to the availability of rearranged during transfection (RET) inhibitors in Japan. Materials & methods: Physicians completed patient-record forms for eligible patients seen during routine clinical practice. Physicians were also surveyed about their routine practice and patients were asked to provide PRO data.

Results

RET testing patterns varied by hospital type; no therapeutic relevance was a commonly cited reason to not carry out testing. Multikinase inhibitors were the main systemic therapies prescribed, although timing to start multikinase inhibitors varied; adverse events were reported as challenges. PROs revealed high disease/treatment burden.

Conclusion

More effective and less toxic systemic treatment targeting genomic alterations is needed to improve long-term outcomes of thyroid cancer.